


All I've Ever Wanted

by secondalto



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-07
Updated: 2013-03-07
Packaged: 2017-12-04 14:04:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/711559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/secondalto/pseuds/secondalto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy loves her job, but she wishes she heard "thanks" more often.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All I've Ever Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> Author’s notes: For SFX big bang. With many and profuse thanks to xdawnfirex who calls me on my shit and makes me do better.  
> Prompt: Darcy feels out of place with the Avengers, maybe even thinks of leaving, but the others know her value. She's the one they go to for a shoulder to cry on, someone to listen, someone who will just sit quietly and let them breathe, or will jabber on about nothing/everything so they can remember why they go through all the blood and toil. Best of all, she is willing to hold them as they shake. (This is not a "Darcy sexes the whole team" idea - the idea is Darcy as everyone's touchstone to the rest of the world.) - Darcy/Clint

Darcy Lewis was bone tired; she felt like she’d run a marathon through mud and could really, really use a fucking shower right about now. Instead she was standing in the middle of the room that Tony (yes, Tony-freaking-Stark, Darcy marveled she hadn’t had a panic attack then and there) told her was hers. It was as big as the first house she remembered growing up in. The huge window looked out onto Manhattan and the view was….wow. There was a door that probably went to the bathroom and Darcy somehow knew it was as big as her dorm room back at Culver had been. Seriously this couldn’t be all hers, she was just an intern. She shook her head and made a slow turn, taking it all in. To her credit she didn’t jump when she saw the woman leaning in the doorway. Darcy fought against letting her jaw drop, but her arm came up of its own accord as she pointed.

“You’re Black Widow. Black Widow is standing at my door.”

“Agent Romanov. I have yet to decide if you can call me Natasha. You are Darcy Lewis.” She pushed herself off of the doorjamb and stalked gracefully into the room.

Darcy was mesmerized by her for a moment. It was only a slight pity that she’d done the whole experimentation phase back in college. She liked men more, but she could really appreciate a fantastic looking woman.

“That’s me. How did…?” she held up a hand, shaking her head. “No, never mind, you’re like a super spy and an Avenger, so don’t want to know how you know.”

“Agent Barton talked of you constantly.” Natasha tilted her head, like a cat or maybe a lion, contemplating her like food.

“Clint’s here?” Darcy’s heart started to beat a little faster. She hadn’t seen him in any of the footage she and Jane had caught back in Tromso. But he was a sniper, better that he wasn’t seen. Of course that didn’t mean she hadn’t worried about him. Damn him and his awesome arms.

“Yes. He’s in Medical at the moment, and then he’ll be debriefing for a while. He wanted to make sure you were okay.” She stood in the middle of the living room, still as a statue. 

“That’s….that was nice of him.” Darcy felt weird having this conversation with someone who could kill her. She almost wanted to pace but that seemed like it might be even more awkward than the situation already was.

Then Natasha gave a quirk of her lips that Darcy thought might be a smile.

“He likes you. Cares for you. Given time…..”

“Oh god, please don’t finish that sentence,” Darcy said. “Not that I don’t want you to, but us? Me and Clint? We barely got past flirting. I’ve just flown in from nowheresville Norway because my boss saw her boyfriend on TV, nice trying to keep her in the dark, by the way. Now I’m here, talking to the fucking Black Widow about a guy I flirted with in New Mexico whose codename I don’t even know….”

“Hawkeye,” Natasha interrupted.

“Really? Huh. I get it. Better than Robin Hood. But back to the point,” Darcy paused before sighing and closing her eyes. “Actually, I’m not even sure I had a point. Was there something else or did you just come here because Clint asked you to?”

“Director Fury would like you to be debriefed,” Natasha said matter-of-factly. 

Darcy rubbed her hands over her face. “I’m going to get mind-wiped aren’t I? Or made to sign a forest load of non-disclosure agreements and shipped of the wilds of Montana or something aren’t I?”

“No, I believe he wants someone to talk to you about a job.”

“A job?” Darcy squeaked. “What the heck could I do for SHIELD? Or the Avengers?”

“Agent Coulson made some recommendations, contingent on your finishing your degree.”

“Phil’s here?” Darcy brightened, her mind already on the Agent and his technology stealing ways. She rubbed her hands together, pacing a little and twitching with joy. “Now we’re talking, he still hasn’t returned my i-pod. Show me where he is, I have half a mind to….”

“Agent Coulson was…killed in the line of duty.” Natasha was obviously struggling to keep her voice steady. Darcy liked that, it meant she was human too.

“God, I’m sorry,” she cringed. “I do things like that; stick my foot in my mouth. No brain to mouth filter, it’s one of my better qualities, or so I’m constantly told.”

“It’s fine,” Natasha waved her off, but Darcy could see the tiny cracks in the façade. “There will be a memorial, I’ll make sure you get added to the list of invitees. As I was saying, we know you are only a few credits shy of getting your degree. In light of recent events, SHIELD is willing to look past that to offer you the position.”

“What position?”

“That’s for someone else to tell you. They’re waiting.” She glanced at her watch as if she had somewhere better to be.

“Can I at least get a shower first?” Darcy almost whined, she hated whining. “I’ve been wearing the same clothes for a day and a half.”

Natasha nodded. “I’ll wait here.”

Darcy sighed and headed for the bathroom. She allowed herself thirty seconds to gawk and then went in, wondering what in the hell had happened to her life.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Agent Maria Hill**

Agent Hill was waiting in the office, plowing through an enormous stack of files. Darcy took one look around and knew this used to be Phil’s office. There were subtle hints of Phil’s Captain America obsession, something he didn’t allow many people to know about. She considered herself lucky to be one of those people. Darcy felt herself tear up, but swallowed the urge to cry as Natasha sashayed in and plunked herself down in a chair. She motioned for Darcy to do likewise. Agent Hill barely glanced up, continuing to read, make notes and sign things.

“Miss Lewis, I’m sure you’re wondering why exactly you are here.”

“Sort of, Agent Romanov said something about a job.”

“Yes, Agent Coulson,” Darcy noted the slight break in Hill’s voice. “Coulson had high hopes for you. He said you were one of the smartest people he’d ever met. One of the stubbornest too. And despite some of your,” she paused for effect, “more colorful incidents, I’m going to follow his plan.”

“Well, um…that’s awesome. Sorry about him,” Darcy said. She wasn’t sure what else to say. She wasn’t even surprised that Phil had done a background check on her or that she had a file. Darcy wondered how thick it was.

“Thank you. I’m sure you will want to be at his memorial. Natasha can give you the details. How would you feel about starting tomorrow?”

“Erm…what?”

“The job. I need someone, well you to be precise, to start tomorrow.”

“You haven’t told me what the job is.”

“You would be my personal assistant. I’m taking over all of….”

Darcy nodded, knowing how hard it must be for anyone to bring up Phil. “I…I’d need to make sure Jane was taken care of. She needs someone to remind to eat and sleep. I’m also one of two people that can decipher her handwriting when she gets into full science mode. Eric’s the other one.”

“The work here would only be part time, after the first two weeks. Doctor Foster will need that time to set up all her equipment and to familiarize herself with the labs. After that you could split your time. Doctor Banner has also inferred he might need some help.”

“So, personal assistant to a badass SHIELD agent and lab monkey to two of the most brilliant scientists ever?”  
Hill nodded, still plowing through the pile of paperwork.

Darcy shrugged. “Why the hell not. Where do I sign?”

Maria pointed to another stack of papers that Natasha snatched and took to the desk outside of the office. Darcy knew she would have eye strain and an aching wrist afterwards, but it would be worth it. She wasn’t wrong. To celebrate clearing the backlog of paperwork, Hill took her to an out of the way bar that had karaoke. Natasha and Pepper freaking Potts joined them. They proceeded to get drunk and sing. It was the first night of what would become a weekly tradition barring missions and hostile alien take overs of course. 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It wasn’t until a few weeks after that Darcy realized Maria had made it onto her list. Hell, it took her that long to even realize she had a list; people Darcy Lewis took care of. Jane and Clint and Thor were all on it at the beginning. Slowly others made it on.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Clint Barton**

After filling out all of Maria’s forms, Natasha took Darcy to Medical. They went past the labs, where Thor and Jane were having their well-deserved reunion. Natasha pointed out Dr. Banner, who was having a lively discussion with another scientist type. 

“I know who Banner is, thanks to Jane, but exactly why is he here?” Darcy asked.

Natasha frowned. “It wasn’t in the paperwork?” Darcy shook her head. “Dr. Banner is…he…he turns into the Hulk.”

“Oh.” Darcy said, letting that bit of information roll around in her head for a moment. “I can see why he’s here then.”

“We’re still pulling together a manual for all SHIELD employees, the information will be in there.”

Darcy was led through a set of double doors that were marked MEDICAL FACILITY. What she found inside would put the set of ER to shame. She was sure every machine was the most up to date available and there were probably a few that wouldn’t be on the market for years yet. They passed by all the doctors and nurses. There was someone else that caught Darcy’s eye but Natasha wasn’t stopping for anything.

“Was that…Captain-freaking-America?” Darcy half-whispered, half-squeaked.

“Yes, we found him frozen a few months ago. He’s been here ever since.”

They veered into a smaller hallway, the noise diminishing significantly. Natasha nodded to a room, gesturing for Darcy to go in, looking around as if she was standing guard.

Darcy’s heart leapt into her throat as she knocked on the door before she opened it. Clint was sitting on the bed, a few butterfly bandages over his eye, and one or two on his arm. He turned at the sound of the door, his eyes alight with pleasure.

“Darcy?”

“Surprise?” she said, slipping in and closing the door behind her. She stood there, not sure if she should go over to him or what.

“I thought you were in Norway.”

“I was, until yesterday. Jane saw the footage of the battle, had a hissy fit.”

He smiled. “I bet she did. Tasha brought you here?”

“She’s standing guard outside. Do I have to be afraid of you? Because I kind of left my taser in my room….”

“No,” he said, shaking his head. “The danger has passed…it’s complicated.”

“Anything involving Thor and his crazy brother is complicated.”

“I’ve missed you,” he said after several minutes of silence.

“Me too.”

“You should probably go; Director Fury will want you to sign some NDA’s.”

Darcy grinned. “Don’t think so, cowboy. You’re stuck with me. As of,” she checked her watch, “twenty minutes ago, I’m Agent Hill’s personal assistant. And I still get to work with Jane and add Dr. Banner to my scientist wrangling duties.”

“Really?”

“Really. Whatever it is, I’m here for you Clint. We can figure out this thing we have along the way.”

Clint gave her a blinding smile and that’s when Darcy knew she was going to fall head over stylish heels in love with him. It would be awesome.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Steve Rogers**

Darcy officially met Captain, please call me Steve, America about a month after she started working for Hill. She was dragging herself into the community kitchen, pining for some of Tony’s high end coffee made with his ridiculously expensive Italian espresso machine. Steve was leaning against the counter, guzzling down a half-gallon of milk. His shirt was plastered to his chest and good lord was that a chest. Darcy stood in the doorway, trying not to say something she would regret later on. If she was a cartoon she was pretty sure her tongue would be lolling out all over the floor and her eyes would be bugging to several times their size. 

She’d been able to read his file, bonus to being Hill’s assistant was access to anything and everything Avenger related, so she knew all about the serum and Peggy and his doing a forties version of Han Solo. She had known she was going to be surrounded by ridicoulously hard bodies but this was…..She took several mental photos, sighing inwardly as she reminder herself she was kinda sorta with Clint. 

“Oh, hi, I didn’t see you there,” Steve said, breaking her from her reverie. 

“Hey, we haven’t officially met yet, I’m Darcy.” She walked over, held out her hand for it. He took it, his warm hand enclosing hers and he smiled. Darcy was pretty sure she was now pregnant from that smile. If she wasn’t it was a damn near thing.

“Doctor Foster’s assistant, right?” he asked, all puppy dog looks and earnestness.

“That’s me. I’m also working for Bruce and Agent Hill,” she said, putting her cup under the spout of the machine.

“How do you handle all that?” he frowned. She wanted to reach up and smooth out the lines on that perfect face.

“Lots and lots of coffee,” she smiled, pressing several buttons on the machine and watching as it steamed and whirred.

“”Do you get any time off?”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” she smiled up at him. “There are days that both Jane and Bruce are so immersed in SCIENCE that I can sneak off for a nap or to catch up on other things.”

Steve was shifting nervously. “Natasha said…well…I…”

“Come on, Cap, spit it out. I’m not going to bite,” she grinned. “Much.”  
He laughed nervously and blushed. God that was precious. It was right then that Darcy mentally added Steve Rogers to her list.

“You know that I missed a lot of things, right?”

“Yup, read the file, know about the whole being a popsicle thing.” She sipped at her coffee, blessing whoever made the machine. 

“Could you help me catch up?” he asked, running a hand through his hair. “With everything I’ve missed I mean. SHIELD is covering the military stuff, but I know I’m missing out on everything else. Natasha said you were probably the best person for the job but if you are too busy, I can try and do it on my own. Tony set me up with a computer and showed me some basic things.”

“Steve, Steve, god no,” she laughed, picturing him stumbling onto porn or downloading a virus onto Tony’s precious network. “Trying to find your way around the internet by yourself is a baaaaaaaaaaad thing. You have a phone right?”

“Yeah, Tony gave me the latest version of the Stark phone.” He took it out of his sweatpants pocket, handing it over to her.

“Good,” she said taking it and pressing several buttons. “I’ll program my number in it and give you a buzz when I have free time. We can get you caught up on all kinds of things. Right now I have about an hour free. Why don’t I set you up with an i-pod and a list of books that can get you started?”

“What’s an i-pod?” he said, his confusion all too adorable.

Darcy laughed. “Oh, Mr. Rogers, this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” She took him by the hand and dragged him off to the library.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Pepper Potts**

Darcy had already been a fan of Virginia “Pepper” Potts before she went to work for Jane. Anyone who could run Stark Industries and wrangle Tony Stark was a miracle worker in Darcy’s mind. Actually being around her day to day was even better. The woman was a style icon and Darcy would have killed to know where she bought her shoes. Her joining the girl’s night out for karaoke and drinks was just an added bonus.

So Darcy was not going to freak out when Pepper Potts stopped at her desk for a chat.

“What are you doing Saturday?”

“Huh? What? Saturday?” Darcy looked up, blinked, swallowing and trying not to flounder. What the hell was Pepper doing standing at her desk?

“Yes, Saturday, comes after Friday,” Pepper said, some of Tony’s snark having obviously rubbed off on her. “You do get weekends off, yes?”

“Barring a world saving emergency, yes. I have Saturday free, Clint’s on a mission right now.” She didn’t add that she was secretly worried about him. But he had Natasha along, so maybe he’d be okay.

Pepper smiled. “Good, then you’re coming out with me.”

Darcy blinked shuffling paperwork on her desk. “Uh….really?”

“Yes,” Pepper smiled. “I’m due for some retail therapy and I thought you might enjoy it.”

“Oh…wow. Shopping with Pepper Potts. What is my life,” Darcy said, grinning and making a note on her calendar. 

“One of the perks of being able to withstand Tony and all the others,” Pepper laughed, punching something into her PDA. “I know that you probably wouldn’t treat yourself, so why not let me? On Tony’s card of course.”

“As long as you promise to take me to wherever you buy your shoes, I will go with you anywhere.”

“Promise. I can even get Henri to give you a tour of the factory.”

“Are you sure you’re not a goddess?” Darcy asked, her face scrunched up and tilting her head. “Because I swear I would worship you right here and now.”

“Nope, just a CEO.”

“Miss Potts you are not just anything,” Tony said, walking into the office. “So, what are my two favorite ladies up to?”

Pepper looked up, her facing shining with all the love she had for Tony. He kissed her cheek, hand coming to rest on the small of her back, his own face reflecting hers. It was like a modern version of some kind of fairy tale. Her very own prince and princess, Darcy thought to herself.

“I’m taking Darcy shopping this weekend,” she said.

Tony put a hand to his heart and ducked his head with a sigh. “My wallet hurts already.”

“Please,” Darcy scoffed. “Anything you need Tony?”

“No, just looking for Pep.”

“Well, you’ve found me, so let’s leave Darcy to do her job,” Pepper said, threading her arm through Tony’s and guiding him away from the desk. She turned and gave Darcy a smile and a wave.

Darcy mouthed ‘goddess’ and quickly added Pepper Potts to her list. She wasn’t sure how she was going to get through the rest of her day but she was sure she’d find a way.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

**Bruce Banner/The Hulk**

Bruce was not a hard person to add to her list, Darcy thought. Hell she almost put him on it just from reading his file. Then she was formally introduced to him and boy, he was another someone she could have easily fallen for. With his fluffy hair that just begged to be ruffled to his quiet unassuming manner, Bruce was definitely heart breaker material.

She got to know him better by working for him. He grew to appreciate her filing system, the way she was able to quickly pick up his scrawling notes (sometime he was worse than Jane) and was always surprised when she brought him something on her food runs.

“You don’t have to do that you know,” he said, taking off his glasses and rubbing at his eyes.

“I totally do, Bruce!” she said, putting out the food. “If it wasn’t for me, you and Jane would starve for science. I swear I’m more like a babysitter or mother than I am an assistant.”

She patted his arm and he flinched. This was when Darcy added him to the list. She began a quiet campaign of touching him more. A hand to his arm, a quick hug, a nudge with her shoulder, just lots and lots of touching. He slowly accepted that he was someone who deserved human contact.

Meeting Bruce’s bigger, greener alter ego wasn’t something Darcy had ever anticipated happening. Like ever, other than via television. Sure it had been planned for, but when had anything ever in her life gone as planned? Not much since she started hanging out with the Avengers anyway.

She was in the elevator, bringing the science duo a late lunch when the alarms sounded. The doors opened onto the science floor and agents were running towards the labs. There was a roar that was most certainly not human. Jane came barreling towards her.

“Darcy! Get back into the elevator!”

“Jane! What happened?”

“Bruce….he….I don’t know. He…he transformed!”

Darcy’s eyes widened. ”He hulked out?”

“I guess, I don’t know, it’s bad, Darcy.”

Darcy swallowed, straightened her shoulders and knew what she had to do. She shoved the bag of carryout into Jane’s hands, pushing her friend into the elevator as the doors dinged open. Jane shouted for her, but Darcy ignored her and stormed for the labs.

Agents were shouting at each other, trying to contain the Hulk. One had a tranquilizer gun out, ready to shoot. Darcy sighed, rolled her eyes and pushed her way to the front of the crowd.

“Everyone stop right now!” she shouted, addressing the agents and ignoring the giant green rage monster as much as she could.

The agents all turned to her, gaping. She could feel the Hulk behind her, breathing heavily and growling low. She turned around, hand on her hips and gave him her best glare. She ignored the pounding of her heart and the little person in the back of her mind that was flailing and yelling for her to run away, now.

“What are you doing?”

“HULK SMASH.” He grinned a little when he said that and Darcy could see Bruce in him. 

“I see that, but why are you smashing?”

“HULK…..HULK ANGRY.”

Darcy noticed the hesitation. “Hulk is always angry. Did something happen that made Hulk angry?”

“BANNER MAD. HULK COME.”

“Uh huh. I bet that something went wrong. Did something explode?”

“NO. HULK NOT KNOW. BANNER MAD. HULK COME.”

“Okay big guy. But Banner, I mean Bruce will be really unhappy if you smash up his lab. So will Jane and Tony.”

“IRON MAN MAD? SCIENCE LADY MAD?”

“They might be if you keep smashing. If you like, I can take you somewhere that you can smash to your heart’s content.”

“PRETTY LADY LET HULK SMASH?”

Darcy smiled. “Yes, I will, but only if you come with me. Hulk can smash, bash and crash until he’s not angry anymore.”

“HULK GO WITH PRETTY LADY.”

“Darcy, I’m Darcy.”

“HULK GO WITH DARCY.”

Darcy smiled, ignoring all the whispering and befuddlement . She just held out her hand for the Hulk. He extended his and she took one giant finger, pulling him away from all the delicate equipment. Agents moved out of the way as they began to leave the lab. Hulk had to duck a lot and they had to take the service elevator (with Darcy squeezed into a corner), but she managed to get him to the nearest Hulk proof room. Steve and Thor were waiting, making Hulk smile.

“HULK SMASH?”

“Yes,” Darcy said. “Hulk can smash with Thor and the Captain.”

“HULK LIKE DARCY.”

“Well, I like you too, big guy. If you come when Bruce gets mad again, just ask for me, I’ll come for you again, okay?”

“HULK WILL.”

Darcy just nodded and watched as he went into the room with the others. Clint appeared at her side and she could tell he wasn’t happy with what she’d done. They watched the fight for a while, but then Darcy was called away for a debrief with Fury. She braced herself for the ass chewing she knew she was in for, but also added Bruce’s alter ego to her list. Clint guided her to Fury’s office and Darcy sighed knowing they’d have a fight about the whole Hulk thing too. But they’d be okay, eventually.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
 **Natasha Romanova**

Natasha was an enigma. An enigma…well Darcy knew how the saying went. One minute she was tossing down vodkas like no tomorrow, singing with the other women; the next she was a stone cold assassin, teaching Darcy the best ways to incapacitate an attacker. Darcy was pretty sure Natasha liked her, especially since was now allowed to use Natasha’s name rather than call her Agent Romanov. Darcy endeared herself by using the proper Russian nomenclature the day after joining SHIELD and addressing her as Agent Romanova.

It wasn’t until six months in that Natasha made it onto Darcy’s list.

There were incident reports to be filed and signed after another one of Doctor Doom’s failed attempts to take over the world. They were lending assistance to the Fantastic Four, again and Darcy swore that she was going to tase Johnny Storm one of these days. The rest of the team had handed in their reports and Darcy had happily filed them after having a good read and laugh at Doom’s ineptitude. Strangely Natasha’s report was missing. She was usually the first to file.

“Anyone know why I don’t have Natasha’s report? Or where she is right now?” Darcy asked at lunch.

Clint was the first to answer. “She had an….incident with a Doom-bot. She’s not taking it well.”

“Is she okay?”

“Lady Widow is fine, she was able to fend off the robot’s attack in time,” Thor said.

Darcy frowned. Clint took her aside, knowing her penchant for being nosy.

“Her gun jammed. It’s something new the SHIELD techs foisted on her as we were rolling out. She’s pissed off and blowing off some steam. Better that she be allowed time than well….”

“Yeah, I get it,” Darcy said. Natasha file was filled with gory details on what happened when people pissed her off. Fury would not appreciate having to deal with injured agents and Darcy really didn’t want to deal with the associated paperwork.

Darcy tried to get through the rest of the morning without thinking about it, but Maria was pressing her for all of the reports, which meant that someone (meaning Darcy) had to track Natasha down and get the report from her. Darcy sighed to herself, getting in the elevator.

“Yo, Jarv?”

“Yes, Miss Lewis?”

Darcy smiled at the fact the AI didn’t correct her use of a nickname. “Where is Natasha?”

“Agent Romanov is on the fifty-ninth floor. She has asked not to be disturbed.”

“Well, Agent Hill needs me to file her report on the incident this morning. I think that supersedes any need for privacy. Take me there please?”

“Very well.”

The elevator began to move smoothly, and Darcy grinned. Having Hill for a boss had its perks sometimes. The cab came to a stop and the doors slid silently open revealing a….dance studio? The floors were a polished wood paneling and there were mirrors on the opposite wall, with what Darcy knew to be a ballet barre. There was classic music blasting from overhead. Darcy almost whistled in appreciation but was distracted by something leaping past her. It was Natasha doing jetés into some serious pirouettes that left Darcy feeling dizzy. Natasha came out of the spin and into a deep plié as the music stopped. Darcy almost applauded but held her hands at her sides, knowing Natasha would have her against the wall, knife to her throat, though who the hell knew where she might be hiding a weapon with what she was wearing. Natasha lifted her head, breathing hard and seeing Darcy in the mirror. There was a fierce curl to her lip, but she just stood, stretching as she did so. 

“I’m guessing that Maria wants my report.”

“If it wouldn’t be too much trouble,” Darcy said nonchalantly.

Natasha walked over to a towel and bottle of water, taking a long drink. “I’ll have it to you in twenty minutes.”

“Thanks. You’re brilliant by the way.”

“I….,” Natasha seemed taken aback by the compliment. She ducked her head and took a deep breath. “It’s what I wanted to do…before….”

“Before becoming what they made you,” Darcy supplied. The things in Natasha’s file on what the mother country had done to her gave Darcy nightmares.

“Da,” Natasha said, slipping into Russian. “It is one of the few things they let me keep. I use it to….to cope.”

“I can see why. I’ll make sure no one disturbs you if you’re here. It’s the least I can do.”

Darcy started to leave when Natasha said something.

“Darcy….,” she looked up, the rigid mask of both the Black Widow and Agent Romanova of SHIELD slipping, “you can call me Tasha.”

“Awesome.”

“Thank you, for …..”

“I know,” Darcy said, smiling and walking out, Tasha now firmly on her list.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
 **Director Nicholas Fury**

Darcy spotted the Post-It note when she came back from lunch. It had an address and a time, but there wasn’t a signature. Not that she needed one to know who it was from; she’d processed enough of his paperwork to recognize Director Fury’s handwriting. She Googled the location, made a note to herself to check if her taser was charged and got back to work.

That afternoon she emerged from the subway, taser now tucked into her pocket, hand gripped around it, ready for anything. She walked down the block briskly and arrived at the address Fury gave her. It was a non-descript building, nothing on the door or wall to indicate what she was going to find inside.

“Okay, Darcy, you can do this,” she told herself. 

Gripping her taser harder, her other hand on the panic button Clint had given her disguised as a charm bracelet, Darcy pushed the door open. The bar was only slightly smoky, but the only patron was Fury, sitting at the bar, two shot glasses in front of him.

“Miss Lewis, prompt as always.”

Darcy swore that he had eyes in the back of his head to make up for the one covered by the eye patch. And she did enjoy the many and varied rumors of how he’d gotten said eye patch.

“Director,” she said, relaxing a little and walking over to him. She hopped up onto the barstool and spun to face him. “So…care to tell me why I risked my butt to come over here?”

He waved at the shot, taking his own in hand. She picked hers up, waiting. He lifted it and toasted, “To Phil.”

“To Phil,” she echoed, trying not to get choked up. The liquor burned and she shook her head, trying not to embarrass herself by coughing.

Fury nodded at the bartender who poured him another shot and then Darcy a beer. “Director,” she started, but he leveled a half glare at her.

“Nick. In here, it’s Nick. Breathe a word of anything that happens here….”

Darcy inwardly rolled her eyes and took a sip of beer. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll get MIB flashy-thinged or dead or something.”  
Fury…Nick nodded and began to tell her about how he’d met Phil. Darcy nursed her beer while Fury downed the better part of the bottle of scotch without even looking drunk. After a few hours, he waved for the bill, paid and asked if she needed a ride.

“I’m fine thanks.”

He nodded and they parted without another word. The next day he was himself again, but acknowledged her with the barest of nods. Darcy came to anticipate the Post-Its. When he had an infuriating day, there would be one. Darcy would go, they’d toast Phil and Nick would regale her with stories from the early days of SHIELD. She just took it in stride, quietly including him in her mind as one of her charges. Just because he was the Avenger’s boss, didn’t mean he needed a friend too.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*

**Thor**

Tall, blond and studly returned on a Thursday of course. No, it wasn’t because Jane had fixed the Bifrost either. Not that Darcy’s other boss wasn’t trying. She worked endlessly trying to get her boyfriend back, driving both Bruce and Tony crazy whenever she enlisted their help. 

No, Thor came back to Midgard, Earth because of yet another alien attack from one of the Nine Realms. Odin did something that Darcy was never able to decipher into English and sent Thor back, for good. Or until Jane did her science thing, which everyone knew she would.

The days after the defeat, with minimal damage to the five boroughs this time, Thor and Jane had one hell of a reunion. Louder and longer than the previous one because well, Thor didn’t have any way to return. When they did emerge from the bedroom, Tony being Tony, teased them both about damage to his precious tower. Thor would have launched into some kind of ode on his prowess if Darcy hadn’t intervened.

“NO. No, no, no, no, no, Thor please spare us all. I do not need any penis-hammer comparisons. I had plenty of those with Doctor Horrible.”

Thor was puzzled. “Is this Doctor another villain you have dispatched in my absence?”

This led, of course, to the inevitable Joss Whedon marathon. 

Later, she would have time to catch up with the big guy when he came to take Jane to lunch. She was busy.

“Why don’t you take me?” Darcy suggested. “Jane’s going to be a while and I need fuel to keep up with her.”

“But does my Jane not also need sustenance to keep working?”

“Nah, she’s got Pop-Tarts in her pocket and I made sure she had a hearty breakfast, she’ll be fine until dinner.”

So Thor took her out, with the paparazzi hot on their heels. Darcy was prepared for the pictures and headlines the next morning. But she didn’t care. After the incident with Steve and Coney Island, she’d learned that anyone hanging with the Avengers was fodder for the press. Sure it meant a phone call home to mom to assure her that no, Darcy was not ruining Captain America and no, Darcy was not having the Hulk’s baby, but that she could deal with.

“How do you fare, Darcy?” he asked once they were seated at the restaurant. “I have heard that you and brother Clinton are romantically entangled.”

“Sort of,” Darcy blushed. “We’ve been out a few times, but not much else. SHIELD keeps him pretty busy.”

“Do I need to ask him his intentions?”

Darcy laughed. “No, but thanks. Tony, Steve and Bruce already did that. And Natasha has my back too.”

“It is good that you have bonded with all of them. “

“I like the job,” Darcy said. Thor looked like he wanted to say more, but the waitress came over. Thor ordered one of everything on the menu. The poor woman looked like she was going to faint. “Uh, Thor, are you sure you can afford that?”

“Do not worry, Darcy. Tony, has supplied with me something called a Black Card.”

Turned out the Stark name got things done and they were served with no problem. Thor’s being worried for her just secured him on her list.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

**Tony Stark**

Tony was a thorn in Darcy’s side. From the moment he showed her the room she was staying in, he teased, he leered, and he generally was an ass. If she didn’t know for sure that he was completely and hopelessly in love with Pepper, she would have tased him several dozen times over. Luckily for her, Pepper seemed to have someone do all of Tony’s paperwork, God help the poor sucker. 

Darcy also thanked the powers in charge that she was not the liaison between SHIELD and Stark Industries. That would have made her quit within the week. She had seen an ever rotating roster of contenders, but she thought Pepper had found a good fit more recently. Karen had lasted two weeks so far and showed no signs of leaving. Of course there was JARVIS to help out. The AI would shut anything down in Tony’s workshop if he’d been in there beyond a certain number of hours. Karen was Tony’s Darcy and they’d bonded when he’d come up to help Jane or Bruce or both.

This time, though, Darcy had something Karen couldn’t help with. She’d contacted her about Tony’s whereabouts because there were some classified documents that needed to be signed. 

“I think he’s in his workshop, he said something about tinkering with a suit,” she said when Darcy called.

“Not one for Pepper I hope, she’s always trying to discourage him from making her one.”

“I don’t know, Darce. He starts rattling of specs and I tune out.”

“I hear you,” she said grinning. “How long has he been down there?”

There was a pause, which Darcy didn’t like. “He’s hitting hour sixteen.”

“Great. Thanks for the heads up, Kar.”

“Any time.”

Darcy picked up the file and got on the elevator which was waiting with open doors when she approached.

“I though it necessary to have the car ready for you, Miss Lewis,” JARVIS said. 

“Thanks. Remember the thing we talked about a couple of months ago?”

“I do, I shall be ready if you need me, Miss Lewis.”

“If you had a face I’d kiss you, Jarv.”

“Thank you, Miss Lewis.”

She was pretty sure he’d be blushing, if he had cheeks. Darcy wasn’t sure if JARVIS counted as human, but if he was or ever could be, he would automatically make it onto her list. The doors opened up on one of the lower levels. Darcy could hear the pulsing base of AC/DC as she walked down the hall.

“A little help, Jarv?”

“Certainly, Miss Lewis,” he said and the volume went noticeably down as she approached the door. 

“I think you can call me Darcy from now on,” she said with a grin, pushing the door open.

“I will, Miss….Darcy.”

Tony looked back, frowning. “Flirting with my AI again, Lewis? I see you got him to mess with my volume.”

“You wouldn’t know flirting if it hit you in the face, Tony. Besides, I’m very happy with the relationship I do have.”

“Right, right, Barton. Remind me again if I have to have a talk with our young archer.”

Darcy sighed, rolling her eyes. “No, you don’t Tony. You, Steve and Bruce already did that. And Thor volunteered to do it again last week. Thanks for the use of the card by the way.”

He turned and pointed. “Ah ha! It was you. I’d heard the big guy had gone out. Please remind him that I really would appreciate it if he ate a little less on my dime.”

“Like you can’t afford it,” Darcy replied. “Anyway I’m not here for my health.”

“I very much doubted you were, Lewis. So why have you graced me with your bountiful presence?”

“I have some things that need to get signed like ASAP,” she said, holding out the folder.

Tony waved it off, turning back to the workbench. “I don’t like being handed things.”

“Tony, I really don’t have time for you and your little quirks. There really isn’t anywhere for me to set this down. You’ve got every square inch of flat surface that isn’t the floor covered in wires and metal and who knows what.”

“Can’t I sign it later?” he whined, giving her puppy dog eyes. Darcy was immune from puppy dog eyes. Mostly. Steve and Clint used them quite effectively. 

“Not if you want approval for the superconductor you’ve been bugging Fury for.”

“They approved it?” His eyes lit up like a kids on Christmas morning. 

“And some other things that I’m not sure I’m supposed to know about. So will you just take the folder and sign the things?”

“Nope, I don’t take things.”

Darcy sighed, looking skyward. “JARVIS, implement Lewis plan six-b.”

“Yes, Darcy.”

“What are you up to, Lewis?” Tony asked, frowning.

Darcy didn’t say anything, just stood there looking smug. The rock music stopped abruptly and soon the workshop was filled with the sound of “Barbie Girl”.

“Really, Lewis? Nineties pop music?”

“Wait until you hear the rest. I have an entire playlist. I forget how long it is.”

“If played continuously, it would go for over a week,” JARVIS supplied. 

“Jarv likes me,” Darcy said. “He’ll continue to play this until you sign. So what will it be, Stark?” She only ever used his last name when she wanted to bug him.

“Give me the folder,” he sighed. 

She grinned and handed him the folder. She pulled a pen out of her pocket, but he already had one in hand as he began scanning the paperwork. He signed and initialed where she’d indicated.

“You can put his music back, Jarv. Thanks for backing me up.”

“You are welcome, Darcy.”

Tony finished with the folder a few minutes later, handing it back to her with a smirk.

“What’s that look for?”

“I like you, Lewis. Remind me never to get into a prank war with you. Or to at least have you on my side.”

“It would be a pleasure to prank with you, Tony.”

She smiled and left the room, adding him to her list. Now she had all the Avengers there. It was a good thing.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Time flew by quickly then. Darcy played assistant, mother, babysitter, nurse, confidant and friend to all of the Avengers at various times. She loved each and every one of them, for entirely different reasons of course. Her relationship with Clint passed the flirting stage, but not by much. At first it was because he was afraid of the influence Loki had had over him.  
That just took time and lots of sessions with the SHIELD psychologist. They finally did manage to go on a first date, which was rudely interrupted by a villain, of course. Then Clint was shipped off on a mission with Tasha and she didn’t see him for two months. They e-mailed and Skyped but it was only for short periods of time. Their second date was uninterrupted and she knew that they might work out, if they could figure out how to balance the whole superhero/assassin and civilian thing. They had gone on a handful of dates since, but Darcy really wished Clint would get with the program and take her to bed already.

She was so intent on her job and working out this whole relationship thing, that Darcy didn’t realize how much the Avengers were relying on her. She never guessed that she wasn’t getting anything back. Not that hanging out with gorgeous hard bodies that happened to save the world on a weekly basis was a bad thing. But normally she would have wanted something else. She didn’t realize this until she looked at the calendar one day and noticed that her birthday had come and gone without her remembering it or anyone else acknowledging it. 

She was in the cafeteria, scanning the choices and not really loving any of them, when Clint found her.

“Why the frown, Darce? The chicken Kiev not up to snuff?”

“No, not really feeling the chicken today. How’d the thing in Florida go?”

He shrugged. “Not bad, no injuries or casualties, so that’s a plus. Turns out the guy we collared works for an offshoot of HYDRA. Tasha’s got him in interrogation. He says he has information on someone both Tasha and Steve knew.”

Darcy’s frown deepened. She flicked through her mental files and her eyes widened. “Oh my god. Bucky is the Winter Soldier?” she whispered, careful of prying ears.

Now it was Clint’s turn to frown. “Bucky? As in Steve’s friend who fell of the train? And how the hell do you know about the Winter Soldier?”

“Yes. It makes perfect sense.” She turned to give him a glare. “Honestly, you don’t think that being Maria’s assistant comes with the appropriate clearance level? We might have to cancel our plans.”

“And why would we have to do that?”

“Cause Steve’s going to need a friend. You can’t know how torn up he is over losing Bucky. It’s serious levels of guilt. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Doc Burke for what she did for you and helping you realize that we were totally perfect for each other, but this….Steve and Bucky grew up together, they’re almost brothers. ”

“Why do you have to be his friend? Can’t someone else do it? You don’t think Tasha might need a friend too?”

“That’s why she has you, besides, she has her own ways of coping,” Darcy sighed. “I’m the only person Steve’s ever really opened up to about Bucky. It’s hard for him to make friends. You know it took him three months to get up the nerve to ask Beth out?”

“That’s not the point, Darcy. Between my missions and your job, we’ve hardly spent more than a week in the same place. We’ve been dancing around each other and I know we both want more. I made us reservations and I want to spend time with my girlfriend.”

“You don’t think I want more out of everything? Don’t you know how much I wish I could just have one day, ONE DAY where I wasn’t helping or fetching or listening or writing a report? Sure I get the weekends, but those go by so quickly and I usually spend them hanging out with one or more of you.”

“Darce….I’m sure Maria could give you time off. You have to have some vacation time saved up, right?”

“And who the hell would handle all of you?” 

“We were handling ourselves fine before you took the job. I’m sure we could handle you taking a week off. Hell, we could take the time off together.”

“I just can’t….” she paced the cafeteria, not caring that she was drawing attention to herself. She was brewing up a good mad and she wasn’t going to let it go. “Do you know what last Tuesday was?”

She saw Clint pause, thinking it over. “Was it some kind of holiday? It wasn’t a Jewish one or something was it? Darce I’m…..”

“IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY,” she yelled. “It was my birthday. And I was so wrapped up in taking care of all of you that I missed it. I didn’t even know that I had gotten a year older. No party, no presents, no cake, nothing. I love my job, Clint. I love being there for all of you, but just once I’d love for someone to be there for me.

He stepped closer to her. “Darcy, shit…I’m sorry. I think I had it written down, but with the robotic squid….”

She wiped at her eyes. “I know, saving the world. I just…I just…I want to have it all. A perfect job, a perfect boyfriend, and I can’t.”

“Darcy, you can. Let me fix this.” He tried to pull her in for a hug but she shrugged him off. 

“I’m not something that can be fixed, Clint.” She barely suppressed a sob and took off.

Once she was out of the cafeteria and out of the building, Darcy ran. She wasn’t sure why she did it, but it felt good just to let the adrenalin pump through her as her legs took her further and further away from the tower. Stupid Clint and his stupid being a man. Fuck them all. Fuck them all good. She ran and ran, ignoring the blurring of her vision as the tears fell. She pushed past the crowds, used to the cursing and hand gestures. It was almost like she was a native New Yorker now. She started to get a cramp and whistled like a champ for a taxi. She got in the first one that pulled up and told the cabbie to just drive, go anywhere but downtown.

He took her out to the docks, where she caught the Staten Island Ferry. She mingled with the tourists and the going home crowd, wiping at her tears as more threatened to fall. She took in deep breaths of sea air, staring as Lady Liberty got closer and closer. She was pretty sure that her heart was breaking but how could it if she was still standing there, breathing and feeling? She disembarked and wandered around, finally going behind the statue and finding a space of grass, sitting down and letting her emotions get the better of her. 

When she heard the whoosh of the suit, she figured she must have fallen asleep. She didn’t look up, just watched as Tony landed and the feet of the suit got closer to her. She heard the whoosh of the faceplate going up, but refused to look Tony in the eye.

“Hey, Darce. You had us all scared there for a while.”

“Fuck off, Tony.”

“Look, I know that Legolas can be an idiot, but that doesn’t mean….”

“I said, FUCK OFF Tony,” she repeated. “Leave me to die alone in peace.”

“Ain’t happening, kid. Everyone, even ole Nicky, is on their way here.”

“Why?”

“Darcy, don’t you know?” said Steve as he landed next to Tony, thanks to Thor.

“Lady Darcy, you are most valued among us who Avenge the Earth,” Thor said. “Indeed, Banner was nearly transformed when he thought you were lost.”

“Bruce almost Hulked out? Over me?” she gaped, not believing it as all three men nodded. 

Natasha and Fury dropped from a helicopter that had been hovering for five minutes. Darcy could see Clint in the door, waiting for something.

“Miss Lewis,” Fury said. “Do I have to order you back to the Tower?”

“You’re not my boss,” she half mumbled, embarrassed that they’d all come out here for her. “You can all go now. I’ll take the ferry back and be there soon. I’ll be back at my desk tomorrow and everything will be fine.”

“That’s not going to happen,” Natasha said. “Clint told us what you said. How could you think we didn’t care?”

“You’ll be going with Barton, Miss Lewis,” Fury said. “I’m ordering you to take the next three weeks off.”

Darcy gaped. “I can’t do that!”

“You can and you will,” he said. “You think Hill managed the office in the afternoons by herself? She had someone else. They can step up and take your mornings for a while.”

“But…Jane…and Bruce I can’t leave them.”

“My Lady Jane wishes you to be happy, fair Darcy,” Thor said. “She has pleaded with me to act as her helper while you are gone. Friend Banner was agreeable to this as well.”

“We can manage fine,” Steve said. “We’re sorry we didn’t think about you. We’ll have a meeting and when you get back, we’ll have figured something out so you can have more time for yourself.”

“Think of it as a late birthday present,” Tony said. “When you get back I’ll have a cake and we’ll throw a bash.”

Darcy groaned. “I think I could manage without one of your famous parties, Stark.”

“Just us, I promise.”

“Maybe.”

Steve helped her off the ground and everyone crowded around to hug her. 

“Go on now,” Tasha said. “We’ll make sure Bruce knows you’re fine.”

“Give him a hug for me?”

“I will,” she promised. Darcy grinned, walking towards the copter and the rope ladder. She stopped and turned around. “I didn’t pack anything.”

“Pepper threw some things together for you,” Tony said. “And here,” he pushed a button, opening a compartment on one of the arms of the suit and handed her a black card. “Go wild.”

“Really? You’re the best, Tony.”

“Don’t forget it, Lewis, just don’t let Katniss know that,” he grinned and winked.

Darcy blew him a kiss as she started climbing the ladder. Clint hauled her into the copter, signaling to the pilot. They veered away from the island and Darcy let him hold her close. 

“I’m sorry, Darcy.”

“No, I’m the one who should be sorry. I shouldn’t have let it fester for so long. You’re the best boyfriend in the world. And they’re the best friends any girl could ask for.”

“They all really do care for you. Tony told you about the party?”

“Yeah, promised it wouldn’t be some big bash. I hope he can convince Bruce to come, he doesn’t normally do well with crowds.”

“I think with it being limited to Avengers and Avenger adjacent friends, he’ll be fine.” Clint squeezed her tight and dropped a kiss on her head.

Darcy sat up a little, a frown crossing her face. “How are they getting back? I mean, Tony’s got the suit and Steve came with Thor, but what about Tasha and Fury?”

“Oh, don’t worry. SHIELD has a few small power boats that I’m sure Fury commandeered before he even came out here in the copter.”

“Oh, good. One less thing I have to think about on my enforced vacation. So where are we going anyway? Please don’t tell me Tony booked us on the Stark jet out to somewhere hot and tropical because I don’t have a bathing suit and I have specialty sunscreen cause this skin? Burns like a motherfucker.”

“How does Vermont sound?”

“Vermont, land of maple syrup Vermont?”

Clint smiled. “That’s the one. Pepper has a cabin out there, in the middle of the woods, out of the way.”

“We’re not taking the helicopter all the way out there, right?”

“No, we’re landing at LaGuardia and there’s a car waiting there. We’ll drive out there. Lots of time for you to get anything else off your chest.”

“I think I’ve done all my ranting for now,” she laughed. “What’s there to do in Vermont?”

“There are woods to hike, lots of local farmer’s markets and small artisan shops. Skiing, if that’s your thing.”

“Can we stay in? We’ve got three weeks to ourselves. No friends, no science experiments, no missions. Just you, me and a cabin. Got any ideas, soldier?”

“I’ve got plenty of them,” he grinned. “But only if you’re sure about that.”

“Sure? Clint, we’ve been together for over a year. I think it’s past time that we slept together. Don’t make me use my favorite Firefly quote on you.”

“The one with Kaylee and her choice of sex toys?”

“You know it, babe.”

“I’ll make sure one of our first stops is a drug store.”

“That’s what I’m talking about.” She grinned up at him, cuddling into his chest more as the copter flew on. The world pretty perfect right now. 

Too bad it didn’t stay that way. Give a girl five minutes of happiness and evil has to take it away. Or at least they have to try.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“You know, I’ve just about had it with the monologuing villain. It’s pretty cliché right about now,” Darcy said, struggling against her bonds.

“It really is,” Pepper agreed. “Whatever happened to the strong silent villains who menaced with a look or a gun to your head?”

“Whatever evil college is pumping these guys out is seriously lowering their standards.”

“He’s no Doctor Evil,” Pepper remarked.

“Hell, he’s not even Scott Evil,” Darcy said.

“Evil League of Evil?”

Darcy scoffed. “Please. Bad Horse has standards.”

The villain in question, turned to them, red in the face and shaking with anger. “Would you two shut up or I’ll gag you!”

They’d been accosted on their way back from lunch, several goons jumping them and shoving them into a van while pulling pillowcases over their heads. When they’d been able to see again, they were tied to chairs in some non-descript room that really could be anywhere, this dude lording over them. Darcy had been able to trigger her panic button, so she knew that help was on the way anytime soon. Then the guy had begun to tell them why he’d kidnapped them. Yawn.

“Promises, promises,” Darcy teased. “You do realize who our boyfriends are, right?”

“Fiancée actually,” Pepper said.

“Really?” Darcy squeaked. “When did this happen? Where’s the ring?”

“Just last week. And it’s out being resized, Tony didn’t know my size.”

“So sad, he really should be better at that by now. I’m surprised he didn’t get Karen on that.”

“I know, but I love him anyway. Using Karen would have ruined the surprise.”

“Congratulations, I get be in the wedding right?”

Before Pepper could answer, the villain shouted in rage and stomped over to them, tied in their chairs, waving a gun around.

“Yes, I know who Virginia Potts is and that she is with Iron Man. Frankly, I could give a flying fuck who you are.”

“Darcy Lewis, at your service. Personal assistant to Maria Hill, deputy director of SHIELD. Assistant to Doctor Jane Foster, who can kill you with her brain and Doctor Bruce Banner, who also happens to be the Hulk. Oh, and my boyfriend, is Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye. You might consider ducking.”

“What?” he said, confusion clouding his expression. The window on the opposite wall shattered as a huge green fist plowed right through it. The arrow that followed was silent, hitting said villain squarely in his back. He yelped in pain, trying desperately to reach for it before he tumbled forward to the floor.

“Will he be okay?” Pepper asked.

“Fine, standard tranquilizer arrow. He’ll be out for a few hours and have one hell of a headache but he’ll live.”

“Too bad about that, but Fury does insist,” Clint said, swinging into the room. Hulk was looming outside, a look of worry on his face.

“DARCY HURT?”

“Just a few scrapes and bruises, big guy, you go with Tony or Steve and let Bruce come back okay?”

“HULK DO, SEE DARCY SOON?”

“Sure will, I’ll come see you as soon as I can.”

“I think Hulk might have a bit of a crush on you,” Pepper said.

“I know,” Darcy sighed. “One of these days I’m going to have to let him down gently.”

“Don’t make me use one of my tranqs on him,” Clint said, untying her from the chair. 

“No worries, I’ll be gentle. Besides, with the way Bruce and Tasha have been dancing around each other, it won’t take much to get Hulk thinking about the ‘red lady’.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Clint said as he untied Pepper.

“You don’t want to notice because Tasha is your partner. Next time we have dinner all together, keep your eyes peeled. And they call you Hawkeye,” Darcy teased.

Pepper smothered a laugh. “I think it’s sweet. I’m going to assume there’s an ambulance downstairs and we’ll do debrief at the Tower.”

“You’ve got it.”

“I’ll just leave you two alone then,” Pepper said, brushing an imaginary piece of dirt off her blouse and walking towards the elevator.

“Classy lady, I see why you admire her. What was this guy’s beef?” he nodded to the unconscious villain who was being loaded onto a stretcher.

“The usual, trying to take over the world, mad at the man and society in general. Did you know Tony proposed?”

“Yeah, I helped pick out the ring.”

“Clint Barton was in a jewelry shop?”

“Hey!” he said, offended. “I know jewelry. I got you that charm bracelet.”

“Only because it has my panic button hidden in it, that doesn’t count,” she said.

“If you don’t think I can pick out something nice, then I guess you won’t be finding out what’s in the box I have hiding in my sock drawer.”

“You bought me something?”

“Well, we have an anniversary coming up…,” he said.

“Right, let’s get down to the ambulance, have the paramedics declare me fit, get the debrief over and done with and then you can take me to dinner and give me this mysterious box.”

“Pushy, pushy.”

“I just know what I want. Besides, you love me for it.”

“You know I do, Darce.”

“Good, cause I love you too. Now, move it soldier, jewelry awaits.”

He laughed and took her hand as they made their way to the elevator. Darcy grinned. This may not have been the life she’d planned for, but it was her life and she loved every minute of it. Nothing, not even sub-par villains were going to make her change her mind.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [CoverArt for All I've Ever Wanted](https://archiveofourown.org/works/712895) by [SusanMarieR](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SusanMarieR/pseuds/SusanMarieR)




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